Ive tried tech forums and I don’t understand any of the language used.
I was recently very excited to be in the market for a new TV. I have a list in my head of everything that I wanted it to do
1080p, LED, Big!
connect to wifi
youtube
BBCIplayer
wireless keyboard/mouse pad
All was looking good and affordable, until the last but still very important item on my list – WEB BROWSER. I was gutted to find that even the most expensive tellys did not have a proper web browser that would be able to play videos on pinkbike, vimeo, dirt etc.

Next line of enquiry was the various plug in boxes that will turn a dumb tv in to a smart tv. These also seem to have the same problems with the web browser. Please correct me if I have missed something!

I know many people will have a PC connected to the TV and this has crossed my mind but the one aging laptop in the house is very busy and not suitable for this. What small, inexpensive PC would be suitable? It would have to live on the rack under the TV. The sound would have to come through the TV speakers, not separate ones. What leads and connections on the TV and PC would be required?

Are there any alternatives?

Many thanks in advance.

My Samsung has a proper web browser and plays you tube etc. no mouse/keyboard but I use an app on my phone which works a treat.

telly (or projector and amp if you want really big) that takes HDMI input, plus Mac Mini (with wireless keyboard and mouse)

job done.

Dave

Pebblebeach – Youtube but not pinkbike etc because of the flash stuff?

alfabus – I don’t do Apple I’m afraid. What is the PC equivalent? Does HDMI do sound and picture? I cant remember.

The Android based Smart TV boxes or HDMI sticks will have a browser built in.

Not much help, not used the browser on our TV.

However I have hooked the laptop up via HDMI cable which works very nicely. I would expect this is your best bet given you have already found most inbuilt browsers to be poor.

Given the lack of a keyboard and proper mouse, browsing using a remote tends to be very slow anyway.

allthepies – have you used them? Do the browsers support Flash and will they always do so?

I haven’t used them no. Re: flash, it’s a dying format so no mainstream browser will always support it.

alfabus – I don’t do Apple I’m afraid. What is the PC equivalent? Does HDMI do sound and picture? I cant remember.

I’ve never done apple for computers either, but I was looking around for equivalent PC boxes, and to get anything that passes the ‘wife test’ for things that sit on display in the living room, while still having a decent set of features and no hugely loud fan you have to spend a fortune.

the mac mini ticks all the boxes, and you can just run bootcamp with windows and you’ll never see the apple OS.

I plan to keep an open mind when mine arrives and I’ll see how I get on with the fruity desktop.

Dave

edit: and to answer your other question – yes, HDMI does both sound and picture.

I’m sure I read that somewhere in the region of 90% of internet video (the majority anyway) was in flash.

I too wouldn’t bother getting any smartness in my TV. I would go with a mac mini or cheap small PC (Acer Revo perhaps) with windows media or XMBC running.
Even a PS3 or Xbox 360 would do better than pretty much all smart TVs.

Oh and if you want really big, I would recommend a projector as long as you can totally block out evening sun. I’ve had HD projectors for 12 years now and would never go back.
Downside is that daylight viewing is poor, but I only watch cycling at that time anyway. Closing the curtains solves the issue.

Result is that you watch less TV, and what you watch is of higher quality. If you’ve got kids, it’s pretty much off their radar too. I’ve got two boys who have never watched TV unless I specifically put a program on for them (Bang goes the theory, life, earth, etc).

AlexSimon +1 trillion

we have no telly, just the projector (with various things feeding it, but no capacity for live broadcast stuff)

films and good programmes in 80″ HD when we want them – no temptation to watch brain rotting rubbish when we don’t 🙂

Dave

No telly? What does all your furniture point at? 😉
Acer revo and mini mac both very pretty. I am coming around to this kind of idea. Anything like that but a bit less pricey? sub 300? Would a new laptop down there with its lid shut do the same job (provided it has HDMI)?

Would a new laptop down there with its lid shut do the same job (provided it has HDMI)?

Yes, it would. Many use that. It would probably be a tad more powerful than the Revo if you got an i3.

Acer Revo’s are definitely under £300
See here:
http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pricehigh&q=acer%2520revo&limit=10&page=1

This one in particular doesn’t look too bad:
http://www.ebuyer.com/319565-acer-aspire-revo-rl70-nettop-pc-pt-sj4e2-002

edit: changed the link to a better one with 64bit windows.

Oh and if I could afford the £3000 needed to put in a wood burning stove, that’s what the furniture would point at 🙂

As it is, it points at a crappy Baxi Back Boiler/cum gas fire.

my furniture points towards the fireplace (open fire, rather than the oh so fashionable stove 😉 ), then I have a pull down screen for the projector.

laptop would annoy me because the missus would have nicked it to look at facebook when I wanted to watch a film.

Dave

Boxee has a browser I think.

Apple TV has youtube and Vimeo built in. A jailbroken Apple TV (you can buy them already sorted with xbmc or ATV Flash) has a browser.
Apple user or not, I reckon this is the way to go.

Ahh, well spotted Alexsimon, this was the only one I could find on the Acer site – http://www.acer.co.uk/ac/en/GB/content/model/PT.SESE2.053

Back Boiler/cum gas fire.

I’ve never seen one run on that before. Presumably it doesn’t need a lot of fuel?

Approx 10cc Cougar

simply downhill – that one looks like it’s dual core and therefore faster (available for £337 from here http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_Revo_RL10_1054303.html), but many people report good results with the smaller ones – worth having a read on forums.
Because you can keep the computer lean (not much software or file storage), they run efficiently.

I have no direct experience though – just read a lot – I use my ipad for browsing instead.